


Love is in the Simple Things

by HighlyOpinionatedNerd



Category: Tiger & Bunny
Genre: Established Relationship Fluff, M/M, but it came out kinda cute so...here, it's basically a drabble that got away from me, mostly stream of consciousness writing, sorry it's so short, this is just fluff, virtually unedited too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-14
Updated: 2018-02-14
Packaged: 2019-03-18 02:15:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13672164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HighlyOpinionatedNerd/pseuds/HighlyOpinionatedNerd
Summary: A ficlet in two parts, one part from Barnaby's perspective and the other from Kotetsu's. The two heroes take turns contemplating their relationship, their future, and all the trials they've had to overcome before reaching this point.





	Love is in the Simple Things

Barnaby has always been an early riser. He’d always found it hard to sleep once the sun was up, no matter how late he’d stayed up last night. And he’d always been a little upset about it, especially when he actually had the time to sleep in, and ended up just laying in bed.

But that had been before Kotetsu.

Granted, most of the time they didn’t get to spend the night together. Their relationship was still somewhat under wraps, especially where the media was concerned. And most of the nights that they did get to spend with each other were interrupted by blaring alarms at six in the morning.

But on the rare occasion that they did have the morning off, Barnaby got to wake up to the singularly stunning sight of Kotetsu sleeping next to him, his arm slung around Barnaby’s waist and the early morning sunshine shining on his face.

Seeing him like that, so peaceful and content, was all Barnaby had never known he needed. 

Barnaby owed Kotetsu so much. He had come crashing into Barnaby’s life at a time when he had pushed everyone away, telling himself that he didn’t need anyone to rely on, and bearing his suffering quietly and alone.

Yes, Kotetsu had rescued Barnaby from bullets and fires and the occasional almost-crash on the bike. But it had been his words that had really saved Barnaby. His words, his gorgeous smile, the determination with which he approached any and every task. His very presence next to Barnaby in bed, when he woke up sobbing in the middle of the night and just needed to be held for a while.

The truth was, he still occasionally struggled with nightmares. Kotetsu knew about that, of course; it was hard to keep that kind of thing a secret from someone you were sleeping with as often as possible. And Barnaby was learning to be ok with the fact that Kotetsu knew. That wasn’t the problem.

The problem was, the nightmares were a byproduct of Maverick’s brainwashing, and they still hadn’t gone away. The effects of the damage done to his memories was still there, and he couldn’t do anything about it.

What he hadn’t told Kotetsu was that, some times more than others, he _remembered_ what it was like. Especially the most recent time, when Maverick had made him _hate_ Kotetsu. He really had hated him, with all his heart. And he was constantly worried that one day he might wake up and not remember if he loved Kotetsu, or if he wanted him dead.

But then he saw Kotetsu like this, with his hair all messy and his face prickly with stubble, and he didn’t think it was possible to hate him. He loved Kotetsu more than anything else, more than he loved life itself. He would never hurt him.

He had to believe that, because the alternative was unthinkable.

Barnaby snuggled a little closer to Kotetsu, listened to the rhythm of his breathing. It was relaxing, somehow. It made him feel calm, made him feel secure.

In fact, perhaps it was just enough to lull him back to sleep for a few more minutes…

 

Kotetsu lay still, mentally trying to decide whether or not to open his eyes. If he did, he’d get to see Barnaby, with his beautiful green eyes and his bedhead blonde hair. But then they’d both be awake, and there would only be so long that they could put off getting out of bed…

Well, it had to happen sooner or later. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see Barnaby looking back at him like usual.

But this morning was different. Barnaby was still fast asleep. Kotetsu was shocked. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d woken up first. Maybe he never had.

He reached out and gently brushed some of Barnaby’s bangs away from his face. He looked so peaceful. Kotetsu hardly ever got to see him like this, between the press conferences and the tv interviews and the endless street patrols.

The thought that Barnaby felt comfortable enough with him to let his guard down like this was a powerful one. It had been so, so long since he’d had anything like this, he’d almost forgotten what it was like.

He knew that what they had was far from perfect. They hadn’t even told the other heroes about their relationship, although he suspected some of them may have guessed. They hadn’t told anyone from their agency. They hadn’t even told Kaede.

He was trying so hard not to let that bother him. Because it was enough that they could be together, of course it was, but he couldn’t give Barnaby his everything without making him a part of, well, everything. His whole life, including his daughter.

And that couldn’t happen until they were ready to go public. They had to be absolutely sure of the timing, or they could lose their jobs.

The last time he’d been in love like this, everything had been different. He and Tomoe had known each other forever, and they’d both been young and free and everything had been simpler. There hadn’t been anything standing between them, and they’d been happy.

Kotetsu closed his eyes again and squeezed Barnaby a little tighter. It still hurt to think about Tomoe. It hurt to think that, by pursuing his own happiness with Barnaby, he was somehow being unfaithful to her. Which, he knew he really wasn’t, but still. It hurt.

_Please, Tomoe_ , he plead silently, eyes squeezed tight shut. _Please, please don’t hold this against me. You know I still love you, and I always will. But I can’t stop loving this man any more than I could change the color of the sky. I love him so much, Tomoe. He’s everything to me right now. I hope you understand._

Barnaby shifted a little against him, and Kotetsu hastily reopened his eyes, worried that he’d been squeezing too tight. But Barnaby didn’t wake up, just repositioned himself more comfortably. More of his blonde curls fell across his eyes, glinting in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Kotetsu leaned in and kissed Barnaby’s forehead, as softly as he could, so as not to wake him.

_I love him so much, I can’t even put it into words. I’m so lucky to have him. I’m lucky to have had you, too. I’m sorry it had to be this way. But I love him, Tomoe. I love him more than I could ever say._

They had the morning off, unless Agnes called with an emergency. And she was usually pretty good about letting them have their time off, when it was scheduled. 

Kotetsu settled back in beside Barnaby and closed his eyes again. They had a little time yet, before they had to get up. They could stay like this a little bit longer.

**Author's Note:**

> It is my one, single, all-consuming, unequivocal desire for these two to just get the chance to be happy together. If anyone deserves it, they do.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
